Advanced Carbon Conversion Technologies

Developing regenerative carbon sources

The Advanced Carbon Conversion Technologies department conducts research into conversion technologies for residual and waste materials. The aim is to provide carbon for industrial processes and products from sustainable sources as well as in the context of recycling.

The focus is on the development of thermochemical plants and processes for the production of energy carriers such as synthesis gas and fuels from biogenic residual and waste materials as well as the (chemical) recycling of feedstocks containing plastics, composite materials and minerals.

In addition to the conversion technologies, we are intensively involved in the treatment and further processing of the conversion products, e.g. pyrolysis oils, carbonisates, syngases and process water by catalytic processes.

Short profiles department management

Dr.-Ing. Robert Daschner completed his doctorate in mechanical engineering while working at the Technical University of Munich on the optimization of biomass furnaces by combining them with high-temperature heat storage systems. Since then he has been working in the fields of combustion, pyrolysis and gasification on the development of processes and their adaptation to new products and feedstocks. He has been employed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg branch, since 2008.

Dr. rer. nat. Alexander Hofmann holds a doctorate in chemistry and is involved in thermochemical recycling processes for feedstocks that are difficult to recycle. One focus of his work is on downstream processes for pyrolysis products and their processing into basic chemicals for defossilized chemistry.

Subject areas

 

TCR-Technology - Green crude oil from waste

With TCR technology, a large number of biogenic residues can be converted into liquid, crude oil-equivalent energy sources and chemical raw materials.

 

iCycle®

One of the iCycle® technologies major fields of application is the treatment of shredder residues.

 

Chemical recycling

Fraunhofer develops processes for chemical recycling of plastics / plastics recycling. In particular thermochemical processes, purification of pyrolysis oils and...

 

Downstream processes for defossilized chemistry

Catalytic conversion of regenerative feedstocks

 

Synthetic fuels from waste biomass

A standard-compliant diesel or petrol fuel is produced with the patented TCR® process from residual materials such as sewage sludge or organic waste.

 

Carbonization and biochar

Research and development for the generation of carbonization and biochar

Project highlights from the department: Advanced Carbon Conversion Technologies

 

Synergies through integration of biomass utilization and power-to-X in the production of renewable fuels

 

To-Syn-Fuel

EU project »The Demonstration of Waste Biomass to Synthetic Fuels and Green Hydrogen«

 

EU Project SEAFAIRER

Fraunhofer UMSICHT contributes technology for sustainable marine biofuels

 

EU Project FERTIMANURE

From Farm to Market: Converting Animal Manure into Fertilising Products

 

EU project Phy2Climate

A global approach to reclaiming agricultural land through a combination of phytoremediation, biofuel production and climate-friendly copper smelting.

 

Fraunhofer, SABIC, and Procter & Gamble join forces in closed-loop recycling pilot project for single-use face-masks

Our projects

Here you will find a selection of current and completed funded projects.

Übersicht

Projektname  Projektinhalt  Laufzeit  Fördermittel-/ Auftraggeber
AUTOLOOP Next generation automated sorting, tracing and closed-loop recycling technologies for non-rewearable textiles 06/2025-05/2029 EU
WasteWood2Fuel Development of a technology for the decentralized synthesis of liquid fuels from solid biogenic residues 01/2025-12/2027 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz
United Circle UNITED CIRCLES: Networked industrial-urban symbiosis value chain demonstrators for biomaterials, C&DW, circular water loops & WWTPs, driven by Hubs 4 Circularity 11/2024-10/2028 EU

BayGasBio

BayRezAuto

Sustainable processes for closing carbon cycles and providing sustainable energy sources based on innovative conversion technologies

Subproject A (BayGasBio)

Reduction of CO2 emissions from the Bavarian gas supply: Biomethanization of biogenic synthesis gases

Sub-project B (BayRezAuto)

High-quality, CO2-reduced recyclates for the Bavarian automotive industry

10/2024-11/2025 Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
CirHub CCT Follow-up project phase CIRCONOMY® Hub Circular Carbon Technologies 10/2024-09/2027 Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
SEAFAIRER Sustainable Energy and Alternative Fuels from Advanced Intermediate Renewable Energy carrieR technology 09/2024-0820/28 EU
CIRCULAR FOAM Systemic expansion of territorial CIRCULAR Ecosystems for end-of-life FOAM 05/2024-12/2025 EU
SusAlgeaFuel  Algae to fuel 05/2024-04/2028 EU
biocharPP Development of CO2-optimized biomass carbonate compounds as a recyclable material solution for plastic components 03/2024–02/2027 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Waste2HyEngine Decentralized hydrogen production from residual materials for use in hydrogen combustion engines for stationary and mobile applications 03/2024-06/2026 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
CCPE-Composite Recycling CCPE-Composite Recycling 08/2021-12/2021 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
GreenFlexJet Evaluation of pyrolysis coals; production of TCR coke for application studies 05/2021-04/2023 European Commission
InterPyro Evaluation of pyrolysis coals; production of TCR coke for application studies 05/2021-04/2023 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
EVOBIO_DEMO Innovative value chains turn municipal wastewater treatment plants into producers of sustainable recyclables and renewable energy 04/2021-12/2021 Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e. V.
Reststoff2Kraftstoff Energy-efficient recycling of residues for the production of novel renewable fuels - Subproject: Production of EN-compliant fuels from paper residues by means of thermo-catalytic reforming 03/2021-02/2024 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi)
Phy2Climate Reclamation of agricultural land through a combination of phytoremediation, biofuel production and climate-friendly copper smelter operation 1/2021 - 6/2025  EU (H2020-EU.3.3.3.)
Fleet plastics Improved recycling of plastics through froth flotation  12/2020-12/2021 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
AECO H2+ Electrochemical wastewater treatment produces hydrogen 10/2020 – 9/2022 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi)
EVOBIO Utilisation of biogenic residues by means of TCR for the provision of synthesis gas for methanol production and TCR oil for phenol extraction 08/2020-12/2020 Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e. V.
Cast carbon TCR coal for use in foundriesInnovation programme Resilient Value Creation Cluster 3 07/2020-12/2020 Fraunhofer Gesellschaft e. V.
Bio-Hydrogen Bavaria Use of biogenic residues to generate green hydrogen by means of gasification and TCR processes 07/2020-06/2021 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi)
C2C-L-IV C2+ alcohols, C2+ olefins, synthetic fuel components 06/2020-05/2024 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
PhenoRec Phenol recycling through integrated extraction from plastic waste 01/2020-12/2021 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
FERTIMANURE Added value and safe fertiliser from livestock manure 01/2020-12/2023 EU
iCycle  Recovery of metals and energy from e-waste processing residues 10/2019-09/2022 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
PONAMP Selective laser melting of surface-treated Cu composite powders (PONAMP). 09/2019-08/2021 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
GFK-Foam glass Use of glass fibre reinforced plastics as a raw material source for foam glass production 07/2019-12/2021 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Cl-Platform - FORCYCLE II Platform technologies for recycling chlorine-containing waste and recovering critical metals 07/2019-06/2022 Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (StMUV)
Roof project ForCYCLE II Roof project of the project network ForCYCLE II for the networking and evaluation of innovative resource efficiency potentials in the Bavarian economy 05/2019-10/2022 Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (StMUV)
ODH@SIZ ODH@SIZ - Open ICT ecosystem for cross-sectoral control and operational roll-out of energy infrastructure to a mulifunctional hub for mobility, production and neighbourhood supply 5/2019-5/2023 Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
PhenOlefin Novel biobased phenolic compounds and olefins from the biorefinery platform "TCR oil" with integrated co-product utilisation 11/2018-10/2021 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Biobattery Canada TCR 30 Commissioning, Training and Implementation of TCR® research units 05/2018-06/2020 Universitiy of Alberta
FlexJET Sustainable Jet Fuel from Flexible Waste Biomass 04/2018-03/2022 EU  (B)
TO-SYN-FUEL

The Demonstration of Waste Biomass to Synthetic Fuels and Green Hydrogen

Final Report

05/2017 - 09/2022 EU (B)  
TheMatiK ower plant technology (load-flexible and part-load power plants) - Thermal and thermochemical energy storage in power plants  10/2016 - 09/2019  Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Release nanoparticles Investigations into the possible release of nanoparticles during the deposition and soil-related application of mineral wastes 09/2016 - 05/2019 Umweltbundesamt (UBA)
SeMoBioEnergy SeMoBioEnergy - Semi-Mobile Bioenergy from Agricultural and Forest Residues in Chile and Beyond - Teilvorhaben: Aufbau einer semi-mobilen Biomasse Konversionsanlage 09/2015 - 01/2019 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Project Ashes Recycling of nutrients from residues of thermo-chemical processing of bagasse 04/2015 - 12/2018 Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Ash2Gas
Microbial biomethane production with hydrogen from thermal gasification of biomass with nutrients from gasification residues / Share UMSICHT Proof of Concept & Evaluation (AP6&7) 12/2014 - 12/2017 Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi)Accompanying research project Hydrogen in steel production II

Publications of the department